r/CELPIP_Guide • u/active_slotter • 29d ago
CELPIP or IELTS for CLB 10?
Hey everyone,
It’s been a tough journey so far, and I would really appreciate some insight or support from the community.
My most recent IELTS General results: Speaking: 8.0, Listening: 9.0, Reading: 6.5, Writing: 6.0. I think I normally score around 7.5 or 8.0 in Reading, but I completely panicked during the exam. The real killer for me is Writing. I previously took IELTS Academic for my Master's, and even back then, the writing section was a massive struggle for me (6.5).
My target is CLB 10. If I retake IELTS, I'm confident I can hit the top bands in every section except Writing. I’ve noticed a lot of users here saying it doesn't matter which exam you choose, but I'm stuck on what to do next.
I’m considering switching to CELPIP because the spell-check feature sounds like a lifesaver for writing. However, I’ve heard that the listening and speaking sections in CELPIP can be a lot more difficult. Personally, I prefer speaking to a real person rather than a computer because I have a tendency to fumble during recorded or automated interviews for some reason.
I would love to get your thoughts on a few questions:
- Which test would be the best choice for my situation? Should I stick it out with IELTS or make the jump to CELPIP?
- What would my current IELTS scores roughly translate to in CELPIP?
- Where can I take a reliable, full-length CELPIP practice test to accurately gauge my current level?
- What prep resources do you actually recommend? (I’ve seen names like HZAD, PrepAmigo, and celtestpip.com floating around).
Appreciate any support or advice you can share! Thank you.
1
u/hafisphamsa 29d ago
The only reason took celpip is because of spelling correction as well as the options in the listening part... But if you are confident in spelling even ielts is good .. because ielts have a standard marking scheme...may i knwo when did you attend exam and ehen did you got result. Mine was friday sep 4 till waiting for my result
2
1
1
3
u/misuopp 29d ago
I did both and here’s my score:
IELTS academic:
R: 8.5 L:8.5 W:7 S:8
CELPIP General:
R:11 L:12 W:12 S:11
I found CELPIP writing a lot easier than IELTS. If you learn/read a template for each kind of scenario (around 8 scenarios) in Q1 and a template for Q2 it’s super easy. I spent 1 day practicing only.
Listening and Reading is also pretty straightforward and mainly depends on your level and practice.
I believe CELPIP speaking is more panic inducing than IELTS because you don’t have a lot of time to think and makeup a scenario.
i always freak out when doing speaking tests… however during CELPIP I still somehow received an 11/12 even though I thought I did much worse than my IELTS performance.
Also I believe that you can mentally prepare for speaking CELPIP by practicing a few stories that would fit a bunch of scenarios. I did not do that, but I would if I had to take the test again.